Airline Traffic Data
Legacy ID
321
Show Effective Date
On
Significant Regulatory Guidance
No
January 2020 U.S. Airline Traffic Data (Preliminary)
U.S. airlines carried 5.6% more scheduled service passengers in January 2020 than in January 2019, according to preliminary data filed with the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) by the 25 airlines that carry the most passengers.
The 25 airlines carry 99% of the total passengers traveling on U.S. airlines.
2019 Traffic Data for U.S. Airlines and Foreign Airlines U.S. Flights - Final, Full-Year
U.S. airlines and foreign airlines serving the U.S. carried an all-time high of 1.1 billion systemwide (domestic and international) scheduled service passengers in 2019, 3.9% more than the previous annual record high of 1.0 billion reached in 2018.
- Systemwide: 1,053 million passengers, up 3.9% from 2018 (1,014M)
- Domestic: 811 million passengers, up 4.3% from 2018 (778M)
- International: 241 million passengers, up 2.4% from 2018 (236M)
December 2019 U.S. Airline Traffic Data
U.S. airlines carried 79.0 million systemwide (domestic and international) scheduled service passengers in December 2019, reaching a new seasonally-adjusted all-time high, up 0.9% from November.
The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) is withholding the scheduled release of estimated U.S. airlines’ traffic data for January and February because the estimates are statistical forecasts based on previous trends. The estimates do not account for the impact of the coronavirus.
Preliminary Estimated Full Year 2019 and December 2019 U.S. Airline Traffic Data
NOTE: The information below is estimated and has been superseded by actual data that can be found at www.bts.gov/newsroom/2019-traffic-data-us-airlines-and-foreign-airlines-us-flights.
The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) estimates that U.S. airlines carried more passengers in 2019 than in any previous year. For the full year 2019, January through December, U.S. airlines carried 925.5 million passengers, the highest total based on comparable records since 2003. The annual number has reached a new high for five consecutive years. The 2019 estimated passenger total is up 4.1% from 2018, up 9.0% from 2017 and up 12.3% from 2016. Numbers are unadjusted with 2019 consisting of 10 months reported data and two months estimated.